For the past 43 years, the month of May has meant only one thing to Gwen Handler — the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.
One of the largest of its kind in the country, the festival features more than 600 sheep representing all types of breeds; vendors offering all things related to sheep, from fibers to food; crafts featuring images of sheep; and a variety of workshops, competitions and contests starring sheep and their handlers.
As chairwoman, Handler is in charge of all of it.
“It was a little, bitty country fair when I started,” said Handler, who joined during the festival’s third year. “It’s been quite a journey.”
Handler is full of stories about the festival, from its beginning in Carroll County 46 years ago to its gradual takeover of Howard County Fairgrounds.
“It’s amazing the people willing to come and be a part of this,” Handler said. “It’s not just our neighborhood. One year, somebody called and wanted to know the nearest place to put down their private plane.”
The draw of the festival is simple, according to its participants.
“It’s really, really special,” said Becky Moy Behre, founder and senior potter of Greenbridge Pottery. “The attitude of the people participating and those attending, there is a lot of joy that is overwhelming.”
Behre has been bringing her pottery to the festival for at least 25 years and has been attending even longer, she said.
“My daughter’s first word was ‘sheep,’ ” she joked.
It was Handler, Behre said, who suggested she make pottery with sheep on it and participate.
“It’s our biggest show of the year,” Behre said. “We have events all year long [at Greenbridge] but in terms of volume of sales, it is the largest.”
Rose Caulder, owner of Breezy Willow Farm in Woodbine, has also been a longtime fan of the festival.
“It’s unique to Maryland,” Caulder said. “People come from all over the country. It’s always been great.”
Caulder brings her socks, made from the wool of her sheep and alpacas, and soap made from goat’s milk, to the festival.
“I did not know that so many people were interested in wool,” Caulder said. “It’s like a frenzy. It’s really crazy.”
One of the festival’s biggest draws, Handler said, is its fleece show, which showcases between 800 to 1,000 fleeces.
“The festival started because of a wool pool,” Handler said. “The farmers would bring their fleece to the fairgrounds, pull it altogether and take it to the mill. They discovered a different market.”
Locally, there were hand spinners who wanted fleece, too.
“People came to see the fleeces,” Handler said, and they still do.
“Our fleece show is really something,” Handler said. “It is one of the largest fleece shows anywhere.”
While the festival is officially held over two days, there are now several pre-festival workshop held prior to opening day thanks to a partnership with Turf Valley Resort.
“We fill the hotel and they give us classrooms,” Handler said. “It’s a boon to the county.”
Volunteers are essential, Handler said, and students are encouraged to inquire about volunteer hours for school.
“There are so many facets to this thing, you can’t imagine,” Handler said.
Police are hired to help with parking. Over 80 portable toilets are rented and various licenses and permits are obtained. Entertainment, judges, presenters and cooks specializing in lamb, need to be secured. Set up crews and take down crews need to be organized.
“I think of new ideas and take care of people who aren’t happy with us,” Handler said. “It’s a challenge.”
It’s a challenge Handler wants to keep tackling for four more years.
“I got to get to 50,” Handler said.
A sheep, Handler offered, is a “survival kit.”
“It clothes you. It will feed you. It will help you stay warm,” said Handler, who was in her 30s when she got her first sheep. She now has a small farm in Westminster where her flock of sheep wear bells.
“I like my sheep,” Handler said.
The Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival will be from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Howard County Fairgrounds, 2210 Fairgrounds Road, West Friendship. Tickets are $5 for ages 18 and older. Visit sheepandwool.org.